A Touch Morbid

January 15, 2012
Angels and devils fight grim wars across the five boroughs. Fans of A Touch Mortal (2011) are advised to reread before they pick up this sequel, as none of the myriad plot threads-- some involving delusional, amnesiac or otherwise unreliable narrators--are revisited for forgetful readers. Instead, volume two leads right into a tangle of names: Eden is living with Az and Jarrod, who works with Zach and befriends Sullivan, and all of them distrust Madeline and hide from Luke while seeking Gabe and ignoring Kristen's worsening mental illness... Somewhere in all of this is a paranormal adventure. Eden and allies are mostly Siders, living undead who remain immortal and forgotten after their suicides. Eden and her beloved Az (the angel Azazel, caught in a limbo between heaven and hell) are seeking Gabe, Az's best friend and the angel who Fell at the conclusion of this series' first volume. Inexplicable politics between Eden and the other Sider leaders prevents them from banding together against a common enemy: Luke, otherwise known as Lucifer. As if that weren't bad enough, Heaven's involved now, and neither celestial nor infernal forces seem to be looking out for the best interest of the Siders. Eden has her hands full keeping Az from Falling the rest of the way to hell, seeking Gabe and hiding her own deterioration. Chaotic. (Paranormal romance. 14-16)

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March 15, 2012
Grades 9-12 In the second book in Clifford's Touch trilogy, Eden is searching for Gabe, who has Fallen in his attempt to protect her from Luke (aka Lucifer). In a chaotic netherworld in which Siders wind up Downstairs rather than Upstairs as Eden had planned, Eden herself is dying, turning to ash from the inside out. Clifford's paranormal world and unique characters will once again draw readers to the battle between good and evil, and to sweet and unsettling romances woven throughout each person's fate. Just introduce readers to A Touch Mortal (2011) first; its backstory is too integral to ignore.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
In [cf2]A Touch Mortal[cf1], Eden returned from death as a "Sider" to spread addictive magical "Touch" to the living. Now Eden must keep Lucifer from claiming her fellow Siders, while her true love, disgraced angel Az, is torn between his obligations to heaven and the temptation to fall. Supporting characters play a greater role here, helping to balance Eden and Az's angsty romance.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)